Lindsey McClintock, one of the new CBF Global Missions field personnel, is prayed over by representatives from her home church and the mission field teams where she will serve during the General Assembly in Birmingham. Stanley Leary photo.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship commissioned 11 new Global Missions field personnel here Friday, and Amy Whipple Derrick proclaimed to an audience of about 1,800, "We are all called to go beyond ourselves, to go beyond what’s easy, to go where the Holy Spirit leads through the grace of Christ."

In a commissioning service, the following were commissioned as new CBF Global Missions field personnel:

• Janee Angel born in Effingham, Ill., graduated with a bachelor of fine arts degree in music education from Eastern Illinois University and received a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Theological Seminary. Angel was commissioned to serve in Brussels, Belgium.
• Penny Mann graduated from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington with a bachelor of arts degree in English. She was commissioned to serve in Pecs, Hungary.
• Dianne and Shane McNary, from Malvern, Ark., were commissioned to serve among the Romany of Slovakia.
• Lindsey McClintock from Tyler, Texas, graduated from Mary Washington College with a bachelor of science degree. She was commissioned to serve youth in Berlin, Germany.
• Jesse Loper from Oklahoma City, graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in political science and Spanish from the University of New Mexico. He was commissioned to serve at the Rauschenbush Ministry Center in New York City.
• Jade and Shelah Acker, from Birmingham, Ala., were commissioned to serve in West Africa.
• Amy Armstrong graduated in 1997 from Gardner-Webb University with a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies with a double major in Spanish. In 2003, Armstrong graduated with a master of divinity degree from Beeson Divinity School at Samford University. She was commissioned to serve in Los Angeles.
• Becky and Doug Shenton, from Fredrick, Md., were called to serve Iranian and Afghan ministry in New Jersey. Becky, 35, graduated with a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Mars Hill College and a master of divinity degree from the M. Christopher White School of Divinity at Gardner-Webb University. Doug graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in religion from Carson-Newman College and received a master’s degree in religious education.

In her sermon, Derrick, CBF Global Missions associate coordinator for Global Service Corps, envoys and student missions, said all Christians are called, but not as dramatically as some in the Bible.

"Burning bush or not, we are all called," she said. "We are called to relationship, called to what God has uniquely gifted us to be, called beyond ourselves, called to love, and called to be the presence of Christ. We really are on holy ground because God is calling each of us. How will we respond? We may run, we may spectate or we may choose to commit."

The 11 commissioned on Friday brings the total of CBF Global Missions field personnel to 146. CBF Global Missions partners with churches and others in sharing the love of Jesus Christ to the most neglected, which includes unevangelized and marginalized people around the world.

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.